Smith lost hope after Miller

23 April 2011 14:00
Walter Smith has admitted he all but gave up on Rangers' hopes of retaining the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title after top-scorer Kenny Miller quit the Scottish champions. The striker, who remains top of the SPL scoring charts with 22 goals, joined Champions League opponents Bursaspor in the January transfer window. Miller's departure came at a time when an already small squad had been hit hard by injuries, including the absence of £4million summer signing Nikica Jelavic, and Smith feared for his team's ability to challenge rivals Celtic. Both teams are now preparing to do battle in the final Old Firm derby of the season, with Rangers boasting a single point advantage over the Hoops, who have a game in hand. "We had a few things around January or February, when we lost our top goalscorer and our other striker was out injured and we had quite a bit to contend with injury-wise," Smith said. "I never thought we would actually get to the stage this season where, with the split coming and five games to go, we would have an opportunity to win the league. I thought there would be a huge element of doubt at that time of the year. "So we are going into the last period of the season delighted that we've still got the opportunity to go for a championship when earlier, midway through the season, I thought that would be really doubtful."

Source: PA